Night diving in the Maldives

Night diving in the Maldives is a really incredible experience. You will find that corals open up and extend their flower like tentacles in the dark waters. Spiders and shrimps leave their tubular sponges to look for food. Visibility is cut down to just the thin beam of light from the torch. But seeing reef and nurse sharks, rays, large tuna and trevally swimming about you is completely fascinating. As there is no threat from them, you do not feel scared and can relax and just enjoy the dive. The Maldivian waters come alive at night. In some parts, phosphorescent plankton light up the ocean with their blue bioluminescent effect.

Night diving in the Maldives does mean you need to be careful and you need the correct equipment to keep you safe. Make sure the torch has a strap to attach it to your wrist. Visibility is reduced to just a few feet, leaving just you and your torch to head into the dark. It is best to slow down and concentrate on small areas in order to see all the details and, remember that you will be in shallower water and nearer to the reef than you would when diving during the day. When we talk about night diving in the Maldives, it will usually mean dusk is this is the best time to discover what the evening waters hold.

Night diving in the Maldives is for the more advanced divers,who have some experience navigating the waters. Learn to signal with the light while under the water and when coming up to the surface. Make sure your dive buddy and the boat crew know how you will communicate with each other. Remember to point the torch on yourself so that the signals can be seen. Also be aware of other divers around you and take care not to direct the torchlight into their eyes, which will affect their night vision.

If not yet ready for a night dive, try snorkeling at night. This is also an incredible must do experience.